| Made in Chelsea | |
|---|---|
Made in Chelsea title card |
|
| Genre | scripted reality show |
| Starring | Amber Atherton Victoria Baker-Harber Francis Boulle Caggie Dunlop Gabriella Ellis Fredrik Ferrier Alexandra Felstead Rosie Fortescue Chloe Green Francesca Hull Jamie Laing Ollie Locke Millie Mackintosh Spencer Matthews Funda Onal Oliver Proudlock Hugo Taylor Louise Thompson Mark Vandelli |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 18 (List of Made in Chelsea episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 mins |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | E4 |
| Original run | 9 May 2011 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Made in Chelsea (abbreviated as MIC) is a scripted reality show series set in the wealthy Chelsea district of London. The show follows the lives of: Ollie Locke, Spencer Matthews, Fredrik Ferrier, Francis Boulle, Hugo Taylor, Millie Mackintosh, Amber Atherton, Alexandra Felstead, Francesca Hull, Rosie Fortescue, Caggie Dunlop and Gabriella Ellis.[1]
The series is primarily shot in West London areas including Belgravia, The Kings Road and Knightsbridge. The show airs on E4 on Monday nights at 10:00pm. The first episode premiered on 9 May 2011. Each episode opens with the main title card followed by a second with a quote from one of the characters in the episode.
The show was renewed for a second series as part of E4's plans to fill the void after the decision to stop airing Friends. The show was commissioned for a second ten-part series and filming began on 29 July 2011.[2] The second series premiered Monday 19 September 2011[3][4] and was followed by a reunion episode presented by Rick Edwards, and a 90 minute Christmas Special, which aired on 22 December 2011.
A third season was confirmed on 21 November 2011 and is expected to begin airing in 2012.[4]
Contents |
You may have heard rumours that Chelsea is an exclusive world of royals, aristocrats and playboys, where the gossip is as startling as the prices. Well it's all true, and I'd know. I'm Caggie Dunlop and this is my world. You might say that we've got it all, but having whatever you want can make choosing that much more tricky. In Chelsea the truth is more fabulous than fiction. This is our life.
—Caggie, in the opening scene
When the series debuted E4 described the show as a chance to "peek behind the designer curtains of South West London and meet London's young socially elite...See the real-life rivalries and relationships that set tongues wagging and phones beeping behind closed doors on the Kings Road".[4]
Most of the series focuses on the inner-relationships of the group. In particular the will they/won't they romance between Caggie and Spencer, the recently ended relationship between Millie and Hugo as well as the strong friendship between Ollie, Cheska and Binky which is made complicated by the presence of his ex-girlfriend Gabriella.
The show also looks at their professional lives, most notably through Francis's diamond enterprise and Amber's boutique as well as Caggie's and Gabriella's singing careers. More recently the show has dealt with season 2 cast member Jamie's dream to open a sweet shop in London.
The first season started with eleven main cast members including Caggie, Millie, Spencer, Hugo, Amber, Rosie, Ollie, Cheska, Binky, Gabriella, Fredrik and Francis. However several supporting characters, such as fellow Chelsea resident Mark-Francis, Francis's intern Agne and Spencer's girlfriend Funda also appeared in several episodes.
The entire main cast from the first season re-appear in the second as well as supporting member Mark-Francis. Fellow supporting characters Agne and Funda would not be taking part in the new season. E4 confirmed online that Chloe Green, daughter of the billionaire Topshop entrepreneur Phillip Green and girlfriend of cast member Ollie Locke had officially joined the cast of the show for Season 2. ".[5] The second season also introduced four other new cast members; Oliver Proudlock, Jamie Laing, Victoria Baker-Harber and Louise Thompson.[6]
| Cast member[7] | Age | Occupation | Title | Series(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catherine 'Caggie' Dunlop | 21 | Singer/songwriter | Lead Role | 1 - Present |
| Spencer Matthews | 22 | Broker | Lead Role | 1 - Present |
| Hugo Taylor | 24 | Head of PR | Lead Role | 1 - Present |
| Camilla 'Millie' Mackintosh | 22 | Make-up artist | Lead Role | 1 - Present |
| Amber Atherton | 19 | Jewellery boutique owner | Lead Role | 1 - Present |
| Rosie Fortescue | 21 | Student | Lead Role | 1 - Present |
| Ollie Locke | 24 | 'Whiskey Mist' VIP host | Lead Role | 1 - Present |
| Gabriella Ellis | 24 | Musician | Lead Role | 1 - Present |
| Alexandra 'Binky' Felstead | 20 | Investment bank Receptionist | Lead Role | 1 - Present |
| Francesca 'Cheska' Hull | 25 | Blog author | Lead Role | 1 - Present |
| Francis Boulle | 23 | Diamond mining heir | Lead Role | 1 - Present |
| Fredrik Ferrier | 21 | Model, student | Lead Role | 1 - Present |
| Mark-Francis Vandelli | 22 | Jeweller | Lead Role | 1 - Present |
| Jamie Laing | 22 | Heir to the McVitie's fortune | Lead Role | 2 |
| Oliver Proudlock | 24 | Own fashion brand 'Serge DeNimes'. Ex-boyfriend of Caggie | Lead Role | 2 |
| Cast Member[7] | Age | Job | Series |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chloe Green | 20 | Daughter of Phillip Green | 2 |
| Victoria Baker-Harber | 23 | Swimwear entrepreneur | 2 |
| Louise Thompson | 21 | Student | 2 |
| Gabriella 'Gabalicious' Tristao | 23 | ? | 2 |
| Alice Dunlop | 20 | Student, Caggie's Cousin | 2 |
| Funda Onal | 27 | Model/dancer | 1 |
| Agne Motiejunaite | 28 | Intern for Francis Boulle Enterprise | 1 |
For all episodes see List of Made In Chelsea Episodes.
The first series mostly revolves around the relationship between long time friends Caggie and Spencer. Although they both have openly strong feelings for each other they have never acted upon them. The situation is made more complicated when Caggie meets Spencer's girlfriend Funda who suspects more is going on between the friends. Funda confronts Caggie about her feelings who assures her nothing is going on. After this Caggie invites Funda out with the girls to try and ensure a civil relationship with her. Soon after this however, Spencer breaks up with Funda, telling her they are too different. He and Hugo then decide to take Caggie and Millie away to Cannes for the weekend to celebrate Caggie's birthday. Whilst away Spencer tells Caggie he has broken up with Funda and is in love with her but she tells them it is too soon after his relationship. After this rejection Spencer decides to try and play it cool and ignore Caggie which results in her telling him that he shouldn't treat her like that as her friend and she isn't going to bow down to him after being single for a matter of days. Caggie reveals to Millie that she's decided to go back to New York and asks her not to tell Hugo for fear that Spencer will go and persuade her not to leave. However, she decides to tell him herself because she knows he would never forgive her for not saying goodbye. After the two share a kiss before she leaves, Spencer rushes to the airport to stop her but is told by Millie he's too late and she has gone.
Spencer's best friend Hugo is also caught in a love triangle between himself, Millie and Rosie. Even though the two girls are aware of the others attraction to Hugo, Millie bids on him in a charity auction winning a date. Hugo seems to lead them on by telling them both he enjoys spending time with them more than the other. However, whilst Spencer is telling Rosie she has nothing to worry about as Hugo and Millie are just friends, the two share a kiss. After this however, he decides that he likes Rosie more and tells Millie. He goes to Rosie who then tells him she doesn't want to act on her feelings and she wants to stay friends. In Cannes Hugo and Millie share another kiss, Millie tells Rosie and asks if she is sure she is okay with this. Rosie then decides to tell Hugo she has feelings for him expecting him to like her back but instead he tells her he is happy with Millie and the two confirm their relationship.
Another relationship within the series is that of Ollie and Gabriella. Gabriella is deeply in love with Ollie but it always seems that Ollie does not feel the same and she decides to do something special for his birthday - skiing. However, tension builds as unknown to Gabriella, Ollie also invites his two best friends Binky and Cheska which she is unhappy with. After the ski trip, the relationship finally caves after Ollie admits that he is bisexual and needs to be single so that he can think about what he wants, ending the relationship. Binky spends time with both Ollie and Gabriella separately but lies to them and says she hasn't seen the other. Ollie decides he wants to try his hand at modelling, however he is told he will have to cut off his hair which he isn't too keen on. After bumping into the trio Gabriella is invited to the masked ball but is unimpressed when Ollie spends his time talking to another girl. After this, whilst trying to get a guy for Cheska in the park, Ollie ends up getting a date with him. The date goes well and the two attend the polo together. Cheska and Binky decide it's best to tell Gabriella that Ollie has been seeing a guy and she then meets him during the match. She speaks to Ollie privately and tells him she is happy for him before walking off with a date of her own.
Meanwhile, after numerous attempts to woo Caggie, Millie tells Francis that Caggie is not interested. Distraught, he hires Agne as his intern and a close friendly relationship develops. However, she goes on a date with Fredrik who is also keen on her. The two discuss the situation afterwards and decide to both keep dating her so as not to let her get in the way of their friendship. They reveal this arrangement to Amber and Rosie, the latter disclosing the information to Agne herself. This leads to a confrontation between Francis and Rosie where he tells her to keep out of his business. Disgusted with the idea of the two men sharing her and shocked by Francis' behaviour, Agne decides to hand in her resignation letter. During the polo Francis apologises to Agne and asks her out on a date to which she accepts.
Hugo and Millie's relationship starts to deteriorate as rumours spread about Hugo playing away and this eventually leads to the end of their relationship. Millie is comforted by Caggie who also reveals that Hugo did cheat on her. After confronting him Millie decides to leave London for some space. When she returns to former couple have no contact until he confronts with the information that she also cheated on him prior to his indiscretion. After some time the two begin to mend their friendship and spend time together. Rosie becomes offended when Millie asks her if anything happened with Hugo whilst she was in Morocco but when it is revealed that they did hook up Millie is left devastated again.
Ollie is in a new relationship with Chloe but Cheska and Binky feel caught in the middle as they try to maintain their friendship with Gabriella. They tell him he can't cut her out of his life but also worry she isn't coping with the break up after she casts an Ollie look-a-like in the music video for her song 'Fight'. Following this Chloe decides she needs to speak to Gabriella and tells her about the effect she is having on her relationship and although the girls become friends Chloe and Ollie's relationship eventually ends for other reasons. Cheska begins seeing Kendal; one of the Ollie look-a-likes and invites him to a dinner party with the gang. When Binky goes to Caggie's gig instead of dinner Cheska becomes upset because of what the argument she had with Hugo and feels Binky isn't supporting her splitting the group apart. After going to Morocco with Spencer and the group, Binky realises how much she misses Cheska and Ollie and apologises. Ollie decides he wants to release a book about 21st century men and relationships.
Spencer tells his friends he has moved on from Caggie and enters a 'friends with benefits' relationship with old flame Louise. The two grow extremely close but become strained when Caggie returns as the latter struggles to be around the couple and Spencer struggles to be around both the girls. Louise, sensing his feelings decides to end things with him just as Caggie grows close to Proudlock. This is short lived as Caggie's cousin Alice comes to visit and begins seeing Proudlock. Whilst away in Morocco, Spencer tells Caggie that he loves her but she rejects him, saying that she only likes him as a friend. The tension increases when Thomas, a guy that Caggie met in Paris, suddenly arrives in London, wanting to spend time with her. Deeply hurt, Spencer decides to distance himself from Caggie, which upsets her as she still wants to remain close friends and she realises how important he is to her and the two resume their friendship.
Jamie, long time friend of Spencer and Hugo, returns to London and is told to curb his spending habits. He also asks Rosie out on a date and hopes to get closer to her during a country get-away at his manor however she doesn't seem interested and rejects him. After this he asks Spencer permission to ask Louise on a date and decides he wants to open his own sweet shop but is told he needs a full business plan before his funds will be released. Jamie then asks Louise out on a date and although they have a good time she tells him she is returning to Edinburgh for university. When she returns she decides to remain friends with Jamie after discovering he had a one night stand with Gabriella.
Amber attempts to woo Francis to get to finance her new jewellery line. He also asks Louise out on a date and is introduced to Chloe's friend Natalia. During his casino night Francis calls Amber's bluff on her intentions she admits that she wants him involved with her jewellery line, to which he accepts. He then meets up with Natalia again and they begin dating. Francis also selects a new intern, James, to help set up new ventures.
A ten part third season was confirmed on 21 November 2011, most likely to be screened in 2012.
The series has received mixed reviews from critics and has been heavily compared to The Only Way Is Essex, "The participants are slimmer, sleeker, more moneyed and honey-coloured than their Essex counterparts - but some things remain the same".[8] Keith Watson of Metro said, "What is it about these fake reality soaps that proves so gruesomely addictive?",[9] whilst Digital Spy said "It's all incredibly silly, but we're already falling in love with it a little bit and it will fill a lovely TOWIE-shaped hole for the summer".[10]
The first season of the show, however, has been positive with viewers. The show drew 372,200 viewers with its first episode and this figure rose to 433,900 for the second episode with another 117,800 viewers watching the repeat an hour later.[11] It also became the most tweeted about show on channel 4 for 2011.[12]
The first season finale managed to draw in 402,600 viewers (2.22%) on its first showing and was the highest rated show on E4 for the entire day. The season managed a high of 556,400 (3.06%) viewers for its sixth episode.[13]
The show was renewed for a second series before the end of the first. E4′s commissioning editor, David Williams, explained that "the staggering amount of audience engagement has proven it to be a perfect fit for E4′s young audience".[14]
The show managed to trend worldwide on Twitter during the first episode of the second series and carried on trending in the UK for twelve hours after the episode had ended.[15]
With the second season of the show a live spin-off concept was launched where members of the cast take turns in front a camera to answer questions directly from the audience live. The show is being filmed in secret locations within Chelsea and being shown exclusively through the internet rather than TV - using the ShowCaster.tv platform.
| Series | Episodes | Discs | DVD release date | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 2 | |||||||
| 1 | 8 | 1 | 19 September 2011 | ||||
| All episodes from the first series. | |||||||
| 2 | 10 | TBC | TBC | ||||
| All episodes from the second series. | |||||||